The Copying and Imitation of Images in Medieval Bestiaries

Abstract

In this paper, I bring to scholars’ attention for the first time and discuss in detail Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Bodley 602, and Oxford, Bodleian Library, MS Douce 88, two 13th-century English manuscripts containing bestiaries that are rarely mentioned in the scholarly literature. It will be argued that the images in these manuscripts supply proof of direct copying, although at first glance, the miniatures in question do not appear to be similar. This is because the artist of Douce 88 made numerous additions to and elaborations upon the images he was copying. For example, one scene in MS Bodley 602 has four geese, while the corresponding scene in Douce 88 has three. But, when the texts and details of the images are compared, it becomes clear that the images were indeed copied by the artist of Douce 88 before he elaborated on them.